City Election – Portland, ME
November 4th, 2025 State Referendum & General Municipal Election
By Tony Zeli
Voters around the state can now request their absentee ballots for the November 4th State Referendum and General municipal election.
In Portland, At-Large City Councilor Pious Ali is defending his seat against engineer Samuel Aborne. Otherwise, Portland’s ballot is uncontested. Current school board members Sarah Lentz (Chair) and Jayne Sawtelle are running unopposed for at-large seats. Meanwhile, Julianne Opperman, mother of two sons who both graduated from Portland Public Schools, is the only candidate running for District 3 school board. Also, District 3 City Councilor Regina Phillips is running unopposed for her seat. Two candidates, Jerzy Sylvester and Jonah Bradenday are running for three available seats on the advisory Peaks Island Council. All the above seats are three-year terms. In addition, William Hewes is running for a five-year term for Portland Water District.
In Portland there are three ways to request a ballot:
- You can request an absentee ballot online through the State of Maine’s website (https://apps.web.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/AbsenteeBallot/index.pl).
- You can call the Portland City Clerk’s office, open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 207-874-8677.
- You can complete an absentee ballot application and submit it by mailing it to: City Clerk’s Office 389 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101. Faxing it to: 207-874-8612. Emailing it to: elections@portlandmaine.gov.
Voter registration must match your current address when requesting an absentee ballot online. Make sure to update your voter registration before requesting an absentee ballot.
Ballots will be sent out once they are ready in October.
In-Person Absentee Voting
In-person absentee voting begins 30 days prior to the election. In Portland, in-person absentee voting will take place in the State of Maine Room, adjacent to the City Clerk’s Office, on the 2nd Floor of City Hall. Hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On the Thursday before the election only, the Clerk’s Office will remain open until 7:00 p.m. This is the last day to absentee vote, unless you have an allowed special circumstance.
Did you know?
Maine residents can register to vote online or change their party status. Visit https://registertovote.sos.maine.gov/.
Use this online service if you are a Maine resident and want to:
- Register to vote for the first time in Maine.
- Provide updated information for your existing Maine voter registration.
- Change your party enrollment.
The November election will be held on Tuesday, November 4th, 2025.
